--- title: "Château de Mercey: History of a Maranges Manor" description: "Early 17th-century manor with square towers, a carved stair tower and a dovecote above the Maranges vines. Private, seen by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-mercey lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-mercey.png --- # Château de Mercey > Château de Mercey: an early 17th-century manor with square towers and a dovecote, above the Maranges vineyards. Château de Mercey is in Cheilly-lès-Maranges (Saône-et-Loire), 29 min by road (27 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · Early 17th century · Private driver from Beaune: €105 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The Château de Mercey stands in the hamlet of Mercey, about two and a half kilometres west of Cheilly-lès-Maranges, at the southern tip of the Côte de Beaune. Built in the early 17th century, it has square corner towers, an octagonal stair tower with a carved doorway and a tall dovecote. It is a private property. ## Key facts - Type: Manor - Location: 20 km south-west of Beaune · Côte de Beaune - Coordinates: 46.8870, 4.6432 - 29 min from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - Early 17th century - Commune: Cheilly-lès-Maranges · Saône-et-Loire - Style: 17th-century manor with towers - From Beaune: ≈ 29 min · 27 km - €360 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) plus one hour, from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 29 min by road (27 km), €105 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History Mercey is a hamlet of Cheilly-lès-Maranges, a wine village just across the border from the Côte-d'Or, two kilometres from Santenay. The château dates from the first quarter of the 17th century and was recorded in detail by the regional heritage inventory. The same commune also had a fortress at Cheilly that belonged in the 15th century to Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy. The vineyards around Mercey belong to the Maranges appellation, created in 1989 for the three villages of Cheilly, Dezize and Sampigny. It covers about 162 hectares, half of them classified Premier Cru, and makes mostly red wine from Pinot Noir. A local wine estate has traded under the name of the Château de Mercey, a sign of how closely house and vineyard are tied here. ## Architecture The rectangular main house is flanked by two square towers at its south-east and south-west corners, and by an octagonal tower on the north front. All wear slate roofs with upturned eaves. The octagonal tower's doorway has a basket arch with an ogee top and small columns, crowned by a carved coat of arms and helmet. A terrace with a stone stair leads to the park. ## Visiting The château is private and not open for visits. You can see it from the lanes of Mercey, on a drive through the Maranges vineyards between Santenay and Cheilly. The Maranges villages make a quiet end to a day on the Côte de Beaune, with small family domaines to visit. ## Did you know? The dovecote at Mercey rises three storeys under a pepper-pot roof. Before 1789, keeping a dovecote was a privilege of the lord, and its size reflected the estate's importance. ## Around Château de Mercey What to combine with Château de Mercey on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Maranges](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/maranges) (3 km away): Three villages on the last slopes of the Côte de Beaune, sharing one appellation for bright, fruity reds. - [Santenay](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/santenay) (5 km away): Spa town and wine village near the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, known for its reds. - [Bouzeron](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/bouzeron) (6 km away): A tiny village with a unique claim: the only village appellation for Aligoté. ### Châteaux - [Château de Chamilly](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chamilly) (4 km away): A classical château in a green valley, cradle of the Bouton de Chamilly family and a wine estate. - [Château de la Crée](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-la-cree) (4 km away): A 19th-century wine manor in Santenay-le-Haut, above cellars from the time of Nicolas Rolin. - [Château de Santenay (Domaine du Château Philippe le Hardi)](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-philippe-le-hardi), 5 km away: The Duke of Burgundy's castle at Santenay, now a large wine estate with glazed tile roofs. ### Things to do - [Mont de Sène (Hill of the Three Crosses), Mont de Sène (Montagne des Trois Croix)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-de-sene-trois-croix), 4 km away: A 521-metre summit crowned by three crosses, looking over the vineyards of Santenay and the Maranges. - [Maison Chanzy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-chanzy-bouzeron) (6 km away): A Bouzeron estate founded in 1928, with the appellation's only monopole and a second cellar in Puligny-Montrachet. - [Nolay and Its Medieval Market Hall (Nolay et ses halles médiévales)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/nolay-medieval-market-hall), 7 km away: A small medieval market town with a 14th-century hall roofed in heavy Burgundy stone slabs. ### Restaurants - [Maison Lameloise](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/maison-lameloise-chagny) (9 km away · 3 MICHELIN stars): Burgundy's only three-star table, in a former coaching inn twenty minutes south of Beaune. - [Ed.Em](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/ed-em-chassagne-montrachet) (9 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match ### Events - **A Saturday in mid-December, from morning to late evening** · [Marché de Noël de Nolay](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/marche-de-noel-de-nolay): A village Christmas market under Nolay's medieval hall, ending with a lantern procession. (Christmas · Nolay) - **Usually Easter weekend, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00** · [Du Côté des Maranges](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/du-cote-des-maranges): Open cellars in the Maranges, the southern tip of the Côte de Beaune, over Easter weekend. (Wine festival · Cheilly, Dezize and Sampigny-lès-Maranges) - **Four days in early July, Wednesday to Saturday; the 2026 festival ran from 1 to 4 July.** · [Jazz à Couches](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/jazz-a-couches): A village jazz festival under canvas, with international names, a free Off and a wine-tasting concert. (Music · Couches) - **The first weekend of August, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 7pm; the 2026 Ronde was on 1 and 2 August.** · [La Ronde du Couchois](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/ronde-du-couchois): An open-cellar weekend hopping between the villages of the little-known Côtes du Couchois. (Wine festival · Couches) - **Usually the first weekend of August, Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00** · [De Cep en Verre](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/de-cep-en-verre-nolay): A weekend of Hautes-Côtes wines, craftspeople and street performers in the old centre of Nolay. (Wine festival · Nolay) ## Questions about Château de Mercey ### How far is Château de Mercey from Beaune? Château de Mercey is about 29 min from Beaune by road (27 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €105 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Mercey? Château de Mercey is private and not open to visitors. You can see it from the road or the village, and your driver can stop there on the way. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Mercey? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Half-day wine tour plus one hour, €360](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=chateau:mercey): Half-day wine tour plus one hour from Beaune: €360 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - --- Canonical page: